Fire-escape.



No. 867,092. PATBNTED SEPT. 24, 1907.

SLASHFORD. I

' FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION rmzn MAY 16. 1901.

2 snnms-snnnri.

Wihwooe Tu: Nouns PETERS co.,wAsmnc1mv. n. c.

PATEN-TED SEPT. 24, 1907.

8. ASHPORD. FIRE ESCAPE. APPLICATION FILED my 16, 1907.

2 sums-sum 2'.

3 mum to:

1m: uonms PETERS cm, WASHINGTON, uv c.

PATENT OFFICE.

SNOWDEN ASHFORD, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1907.

Application filed MaylB, 1907. Serial No. 373,996.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SNOWDEN ASHFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

, My invention relates to fire escapes of the type adapted to be used in connection with external balconies at the several stories of a building.

I provide an improved fire escape which can be made and applied to any building with variable story heights without changing the working parts or stock patterns and which affords a safe and reliable means of egress from a building without defacing the facade of the building by stationary slanting ladders.

My invention is also particularly unique in that it can be applied to the regular or usual type of escape now generally used'or required on certain buildings without materially changing such escapes, except to add means for concealing the ladders when not in use and lowering them when needed. It provides all the safeguards of the present approved escapes but avoids all appearance of an escape and actually adds to the architectural efiect by affording what seems to be an ornate balcony. The simplicity and consequently the reliability of the device or appliance is distinctive as other attempts to improve the unsightly types of fire escapes with steps or ladders have been so complicated that a stranger to their use or contrivance could not depend on them in time of danger or excitement.

A very important feature of the invention is the arrangement of concealed counter-balance weights which permit the escape to be used by simply applying the weight of the human body to the steps or rungs of the ladder, even if the releasing device is unknown or overlooked in time of excitement. There is also afforded to the firemen the simplest possible means of gaining ascent by simply raising the weight from'the balcony floor and thereby lowering the step ladder, thus being much superior to those devices or fire escapes which hold the ladder fixed and rigid until released by a hand pull or similar contrivan'ce.

A further novel feature of my improved escape is the limited and invariable lengths of the balcony or platform which at the same time permits the step ladders to be lowered and held at a proper and desirable rake or inclination,other escapes with which I am familiar drop the ladders to almost a vertical position, unless the balconies are greatly prolonged. However, if desirable extensions may reach any part of the building.

A still further distinctive feature of my escape is that the opening or hatchway in the balcony is amply protected by proper railings and fixed ladder sections and such railings and ladder sections in successive balconies are located one above the other, thereby preventing anyone from falling and affording ample head room and safety from the descending ladder above.

On my escape the hand pull is prominently located on the rail of the hatchway and is lettered to indicateas well as by its shape-that it is a handle.

My invention is more particularly set forth in the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawings and is then pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein like parts are designated by like characters in each of the several views; Figure l, is an elevation showing my improved escape applied between two successive balconies; Fig. 2, is a plan, Fig. 3, is a detail showing the relation between the fixed and swinging ladder sections;Fig. 4, is a detail'of the lock releasing device; Fig. 5, is a detail of the lock for the auxiliary weight; Fig. 6, is a detail of the counter balance weight and its connections;

1 and 2 designate two successive balconies upon the exterior of a building, said balconies being inclosed. as is usual by suitable protecting rails 3. 4 designates the main swinging portion of the ladder between said balconies. Said ladder portion is adapted to be swung from a fixed pivot 6 underneath the balcony and nearer one end thereof. This swingingpart of the ladder is adapted when lowered to come into register with a short ladder part 5 upstanding from the lower balcony, which thus forms a complement of the ladder. By the arrangement of having the fixed ladder sections 5, the main ladder section 4 may be always of the same length no matter what the height of story or distance from balcony to balcony. The distance between the end of main ladder 4 to the balcony being made up in each case by varying the length of short ladder 5. Thus it will be seen that a uniform length of balcony and main ladder sections can be had no matter what the differences of height between the stories or distance between the balconies. Said swinging part of the ladder may be provided with a suitable jointed hand rail 7, which swings into position as the ladder is lowered. The hatchway forming the approach to the ladder will be-protected by suitable rails 8. The fixed ladder section 5 is placed near the middle of the balcony or inner side of the hatchway in order to prevent any person from getting on the section of the balcony and be in the path of the lower end of swinging ladder 4.

9 is a series of weights adapted to counterbalance the free end of the ladder, said weights being connected with the free end of the ladder by a flexible member 10, which passes over a pulley 11. 12 refers to a second weight on hand rail pivoted at 13 to the balcony and shown as having a sliding guide part 15 passing'up through the balcony. This swinging weight is normally held directly underneath the balcony and parallel therewith by means of a locking bolt 16 which is adapted to engage with a pin 14 projecting from the weight 12. Said bolt 16 is mounted in a member secured to the balcony and is normally held in its forward locking position by means of a spring 17 and thus holds the weight 12 inactive. The bolt 16 is adapted to be retracted by means of a lever 18 pivoted at 19 to a member secured to the balcony. Said lever engages at one end with a slot 20 in the bolt 16 and at its other end is engaged by a bulb 21 on the pull cord 22. This latter end of the lever 18 has an outwardly enlarging opening 23, such opening being of sutlicient size at its outer end to enable the bulb 21 to pass therethrough. This end of the lever is flexible.

Upon pulling the cord 22 it is evident that first the bulb 21 will engage the lever 18 and operate the same to retract to bolt 16 and that a continued pulling upon the same will flex the said lever and enable the bulb 21 to pass through the enlarged part of opening 23. A continuation of the cord 22 is passed over a suitable pulley 24 and engages one arm of a bell-crank lever 22 which has its other arm engaged with the counter-balance weight 9. It will be seen that said lever 22* is fulcrumed at 22 centrally of an upper section 9 of the weight 9, and that its lower end is slipped through an eye 22 in. a member secured to the lower main weight section 9 (see Fig. 6). A cross bar 25 is likewise secured to the weight section 9 to engage with the sides of the opening and hold the weight from dropping when it is disengaged from the cord, or chain 10. The cord or chain 10 is preferably secured centrally to the weight 9 at the fulcrum point 22'. It will thus be seen that further pulling upon the cord 22 will disengage the weight section 9 and allow the ladder to drop, the weight 9 remaining suspended on the floor'oi the balcony.

It is to be understood that the effect of the weight 9 is suflicient to normally keep the ladder 4 in its raised position underneath and parallel with the balcony. The relation of said weight 9 to the ladder is so adjusted, however, that a person stepping upon the ladder from above will cause the latter to descent even though the weight 12 on the hand rail remains locked and raising weight 9 upward. It will thus be seen that it is unnecessary for the successful operation of my device to work any locks or pulls whatever. A knob 26 on the end of the cord 22 is positioned at a suitable point convenient to the ladder approach and the same may be lettered to attract attention. If this knob be pulled the weight 12 will at once be released, the weight 9" detached, and the ladder will descend before the person steps thereon.

The cross bar 25 on the weight 9 serves the further purpose that thus the firemen can readily lift the weight from beneath and so cause the ladder to fall and thus enable them to ascend from below.

It will hence be seen that my device attains the advantages heretofore outlined as well as others and provides an exceedingly simple and easily operated mechanism which can not fail to operat time of stress and excitement. 1' w b e Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, main ladder sections of uniform length pivoted to swing from the upper balconies to points adjacent the lower balconies and fixed ladder sections projecting from the lower balconies to register with said swinging main sections when lowered.

2. A lire escape comprising successive balconies, a main ladder arranged to swing from an upper to :1 lower balcony. a hatchway to said ladder, and a rail thermiround, a fixed ladder section projecting from the lower balcony and adjacent to the inner end of hatchway, said rail and fixed ladder section being so disposed as to protect; one standing on the lower balcony from the ladder descending from above.

3. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder adapted to be swung from an upper to a lower balcony and to lie normally adjacent and parallel with an upper balcony, a separable balance weight connected with said ladder and normally adjacent to a lower balcony, means for separating said counter balance weight into two parts, one part of which is adapted to rest on the lower balcony and the other part adapted to be lifted from said lower balcony to allow the ladder to descend.

-l. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder adapted to swing from an upper to a lower balcony, a counter balance for said ladder, an auxiliary weight normally supported by said upper balcony, adapted to lower said ladder against the action of said counter balance, a device on said escape to hold said auxiliary weight normally inactive and means for releasing the auxiliary weight.

5. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder adapted to swing between said balconies, a counter balance for said ladder, an auxiliary weight normally supported by said upper balcony and adapted to overcome said counter balance and lower the ladder, a lock to hold said auxiliary weight normally inactive, and a hand device to operate said lock.

6. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder adapted to swing between said balconies, means adapted to normally hold said ladder elevated beneath an upper balcony, a device to disengage said means, means normally inactive, and a hand actuator extending to :1 point adjacent to the landing to render operative said means to lower the ladder.

7. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder adapted to swing between said balconies, a counter-bubnn-e normally holding said ladder elevated, at pivoted weight: adapted to bear upon said ladder from above, a lock to normally hold said weight inoperative, and a hand device arranged to first release said lock and thereafter disengage said counter-balance.

8. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder pivoted to an upper balcony adjacent an end thereof, :1 weight having connections to normally hold said ladder elevated beneath an upper balcony, a second weight pivoted to an upper balcony, and having a lock to normally hold the same inactive, a flexible member engaging said lock and extending to a point adjacent the landing for actuation to disengage said lock.

9. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder arranged to swing between said balconies, a separable counter balance connected to and normally supporting said ladder, and means to disengage a portion of said counter balance at option to permit said ladder to be lowered.

10. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a ladder arranged to swing between said balconies, a separable counter balance connected to said ladder, an auxiliary weight on said fire escape to depress said ladder, a device active, and a manually operated device having connections 10 to hold said auxiliary weight normally inactive, and means to first operate said lock and upon further movement disarranged to first actuate said last device and thereafter engage a portion of said separable counter weight.

disengage a portion of said separable counter balance. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence 11. A fire escape comprising successive balconies, a of two witnesses.

ladder arranged to swing from an upper to a lower balcony, SNOWDEN ASHFORD. [1,. s.]

a separable counter weight for said ladder, a second weight Witnesses supported by the fire escape arranged to press upon the W. E. SCHOENBORN,

ladder from above, a lock to hold said second weight in- S. S. GROGAN. 

